Penny Toss
submitted by Barbara Konuszewski of Huron Woods on September 23, 2009

Size of Group: 12-20

Equipment: Container of 50-100 Pennies. 30 various small prizes. A full-size white sheet with about 12 various-sized plate circles traced with marker on it-circles should be towards the center of the sheet, not near the edges.

Objective: Social Interactive Activity To Promote Eye-Hand and Spacial Coordination, and FUN!

Description: Need a roomy place to do this activity (dining rooms work great). A sheet is spead out and small prizes are placed in each circle. Prizes can be candy bars, snacks, small stuffed animals, kleenexes, socks, can of nuts etc. Make sure prizes do not cover the circle. Players are seated around the sheet on all sides. Each person is given 5 pennies to toss. THE RULES: Only one person tosses a penny at a time. The penny must land inside the circle or at least touch the circle-line in order to win.

Seated Soccer
submitted by Amy Wakley of Benevolent Society on May 2, 2006

Size of Group: 5-15

Equipment: Large exercise ball, chairs

Objective: Promotes team spirit, enjoyment, exercise and reflexes

Description: Chairs should be arranged in a circle in a large room. Allow residents/clients to gently kick the ball across the room to one another.

BALL GAME
Submitted by Victoria Whitehead of Avonleigh Gardens Residential Home on June 11, 2006

Size of group: any size

Equipment: medium size soft football and large washing basket

Objective: socialization. Hand-eye co-ordination. Exercise for the hands and arms

Description: the individuals have to throw the ball into the basket. Depending on individuals abilities this can be easy or really difficult. They have as many goes as they need to get the ball into the basket. It is up to the organizer to put the basket at a reasonable distance for each individual (not everyone will do the same distance)the organizer encourages the individual to keep on trying and also encourages others to encourage them. You move around the group until every one as been able to throw the ball successfully in the basket. Then you start again but this time you move the basket a little further away. The organizer may need to give verbal assistance to some such as throw a little higher or harder in order for them to get the ball in the basket.

Size: 4+ (larger the area, the more people who can participate!)

Equipment: Beach Ball, chairs

Objective: To increase physical activity, improve problem solving skills, and increase team work.

Description: This is great when patients are unable to leave a unit, or have to stay indoors.

Start by having all participants sit in a chair scattered around the room.

The object is to count every time the beach ball is hit by a hand (or head). If the beach ball at anytime rolls flat (no bouncing) on the floor or a table, the count starts over again at 1. The ball can bounce off the walls, tables, floor, ceiling etc., but just cannot roll flat.

Added Rules are:
1. no one is allowed to stand up as long as the ball is in play.
2. No kicking, spiking
3. No monopolizing the ball only 2 hits in a row by same person count (higher functioning groups figured out it was easiest to monopolize to get a high score)
4. Not allowed to have just a small group pass back and forth to each other over and over

The final goal is to see if the team can break the record. This activity works great with ages 12-17 in patient's. My first group's record was 25, it's now up to 1,017! You'll see natural leaders blossom, and problem solving comes in play especially when there are holes the ball keeps falling flat into. Great for teamwork, because not one person can fail, since everyone is on one team.

Size: Two or more

Equipment: Large sturdy, brightly colored balloon and sturdy string , ribbon or yarn.

Objective: Exercise, improvement of eye/hand coordination, socialization, self esteem, FUN!

Description: Hang balloon from ceiling with string, ribbon or yarn. I prefer yarn. It gives more bounce. Place residents at a table or in a circle. Have them hit it to each other. They love it and will play for quite awhile. Coordinate the balloon color to season. I like to draw with a marker on them, ie. orange for Autumn with a jack-o-lantern face, white for winter with a Santa face, light blue for Spring with flowers etc. Use your imagination. Play music that is appropriate and fun, ie. Polka, Rock-n-Roll, Patriotic for holidays. Simple but fun!

Variation by Lorie Antonelli (November 11, 2002): you will need a balloon, preferably a colorful one, and a volleyball net. You may designate teams, for competitive purposes but it is not necessary. Just begin playing ball. The benefits are obvious and it is fun for the RT's to play also. We sometimes vary the game a bit by playing with music. Kind of like musical balloon, whomever has the balloon when the music stops, that person has to say something positive about their day. Makes for some great conversations! have fun!

Variation by Frieda Jones, Activities Director of Appling Nursing Home on January 28, 2002 Equipment: table net, like a ping pong size net, punch ball balloons, couple of tables, music like hokey pokey. Description: make two teams. put one team on one side of long table and other team on other side. blow up 2-3 punch ball balloons. Play tape like hokey pokey, and let fun begin. Players just keep hitting balloons back and forth over net like volleyball.

Variation by Carolyn Shrimplin of Pines Of Sarasota on May 12, 2004. Sit 4 or more residents in a circle ..Must be enough room so they won’t hit each other. Balloons need to be pinch of helium ..and the rest lung air, so that the balloon will float without hitting ceiling. Residents are the encouraged to hit balloon with racquet to any resident they chose and so forth. You can keep score for fun. Use music that is not too fast paced. Activity person plays along too. This activity has proven to be a lot of fun for residents.

Note by Kris Tina on July 13, 2005. My resident's love this game. We take a balloon and just hit it in the air back and forth. if you have children at home they often refer to the game as don't touch the ground.

Variation by Halley Stringham. Place an equal number of residents on both sides of net, give them all a fly swatter and play! Residents will use flyswatters to pass the balloon to teammates, or hit it over the net. Follow normal volleyball rules. Great for individuals in wheelchairs.

Size: various number

Equipment: Snow and imagination

Objective: Great outside activity.

Description: Make a "pie" shape in the snow and cut pieces in it (like eight serving). The size of the circle could be as large as the group would like. It could depend on the age - smaller circle (8 - 10 feet across) for the little kids and larger (10 - 15 feet across) for the bigger kids. 

The center where all the cuts come together is the"free space." Now play tag! The center is the only place you can rest for awhile.

Places I've Been
submitted by Dennis Klenow CTRS of Havenwych Hospital on March 15, 1999

Size of Group: 8-20

Equipment: One chair for each participant, arranged in a circle, the leader will start off standing

Objective: Socialization, Reminiscing

Description: Each participant sits in one of the arranged chairs. The leader starts off by naming one place that they have visited in the past, for example on vacation. All the participants that have visited that location, must rise out of their chairs and find a new chair somewhere else in the circle. The leader finds himself or herself a chair and now there is a new person in the circle. This participant now must name a place they have visited. This continues until everyone has had a chance to be in the center of the circle or until time expires. The leader makes sure that on the last turn, he or she is left in the circle in order to bring the group to a close with discussion or processing.